Special issue : Photofeature : Babri Demolition

On December 6, 1992, thousands of kar sevaks reduced the disputed Babri Masjid to rubble as an entire nation watched in horror. The Central Government had given a commitment to the Supreme Court that the mosque would not be harmed, but did little to prevent the most shameful episode in post-Independent India. More than 2,000 people were killed in the riots following the demolition and India's secular image was tarnished forever.

Eighteen years later, the country showed signs of maturity when the AllahabadHigh Court delivered its verdict on the 60-year-old Babri Masjid Ramjanmabhoomi land dispute. The verdict, widely described as a compromise formula to appease both Hindus and Muslims, did not stir emotions as was expected. It showed Indian democracy had come a long way and that people had more practical concerns such as education, jobs, electricity, water and infrastructure.

Inner Voice, Eternal Enigma

Those were the days when Rajiv Gandhi used to drive around the streets of Delhi on an old Lambretta scooter, which often had ignition problems. Sonia Gandhi was just another bubbly housewife enjoying ice-cream with her husband at the India Gate lawns. Rajiv's apparent disdain for security proved fatal for him in 1991 when a suicide bomber got too close to him. The once reticent Sonia surprised the country when she refused power in 2004 and handed over the reins of the country to Sikh economist Manmohan Singh. From being branded a foreigner in her husband's country to becoming the universally accepted extra-Constitutional power centre in coalition politics, hers has been a journey of breaking myths.

Return of the Rebel

On December 15, 1983, finding himself in danger of being arrested, Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and a group of armed militants who wanted a separate Khalistan for Sikhs entrenched themselves in the Golden Temple complex, Amritsar. On June 3, 1984, the then prime minister Indira Gandhi initiated Operation Bluestar and ordered that the Golden Temple complex be cleared of armed militants. Bhindranwale was killed in the operation which continued for three days till June 6.

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by two of her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984. Over the next four days, hundreds of Sikhs were massacred on the streets of Delhi. Twenty-six years and several commissions later, the culprits are yet to be brought to book. The memories have faded from the political landscape of the country, but the horror of those four days and the pain of justice denied still haunts many.

On 27 February 2002, the Sabarmati Express train was stopped at Godhra in Gujarat and 59 Hindu kar sevaks, who were returning from Ayodhya, were burned alive by suspected Muslim miscreants. The attack prompted retaliatory massacres against Muslims across the state, in which over 1,000 people were killed and several thousand went missing. While Congress leaders were alleged to be behind the anti-Sikh riots, the bjp Government was suspected to be behind the rioters in Gujarat.

Horror at Midnight

Around midnight on the intervening night of December 2-3, 1984, a cloud of lethal gases exploded from a faulty tank at the pesticide plant of Union Carbide India Limited (ucil) in Bhopal, killing over 20,000 people in what was the world's worst industrial disaster. The perpetrators are still at large even though a Bhopal court this year convicted seven ex-employees of the ucil for causing death by negligence and sentenced them to two years' imprisonment and a fine of $2,000 each, the maximum punishment allowed by law. The photograph of one of the youngest victims by india today's Raghu Rai became an iconic symbol of the tragedy.

Quota Cauldron

In 1990, Rajiv Goswami, a Delhi university student, attempted self-immolation in protest against V.P. Singh's decision to reserve 27 per cent of the jobs in Central government for the other backward classes (obc). This was done in accordance with the recommendations of the Mandal Commission which suggested that a fixed quota of all jobs in the public sector be reserved for the obcs. Sixteen years later, Arjun Singh raked up the issue and extended reservations to educational institutions. Medical students across the nation took to streets.

Guns and no Roses

Surrounded by snow-capped peaks, Dal Lake, the soul of Srinagar's exuberance, was once the most-favoured tourist destination in India. Several Bollywood films were filmed in the '70s, with the lake serving as a backdrop for the hero and the heroine romancing in a shikara.

Today, however, the Dal Lake is a shadow of its former self and looks like a bedraggled beauty. Official figures say more than 47,000 people have been killed since 1989. Twenty-one years of violence have stripped the state of the beauty that once made Mughal emperor Jehangir call it "heaven on Earth?.

Enemies of the State

The intention, motivation and epicentre have remained the same. What has changed is the style of terrorist attacks. Earlier it used to be a hidden bomb or a box of rdx in a crowded place that killed the unsuspecting aam aadmi. Now they come armed with assault rifles and ammunition, breach our borders without much trouble and hit the high and mighty. From markets and railway stations, they have changed their targets to hospitals and five-star hotels. The first failed attempt was on December 13, 2001 when five gunmen barged into Parliament. But Mumbai's 26/11 was different as a group of armed young men held the nation hostage for three days.

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